TOM SCARCELLA Writer, Recent Wagner College GraduateTom is a recent graduate of Wagner College and has a penchant for writing. Serving as a Writing Intensive Tutor (WIT) at Wagner College, Tom helped students edit and enjoy their writing. His skills will serve him well as a copyeditor, but Tom's passion for writing has pushed him to pursue his PhD in Writing to ultimately research and teach at the college level.

﻿1. ﻿Wha﻿t does Mindfulness mean to you? To me, mindfulness is a way of remembering that you’re alive and experiencing things. We all know that we should stop and smell the roses every now and again, but how often do we really do this? One part of mindfulness, then, is taking the mental blinders off and bringing your total awareness to your actions and experiences. To me, it’s extraordinary that we can consciously send nerve signals to our hand to move a finger — little things like this are simple, but just seem so profound when you put your full mind to them. It’s hard to ultimately define, but I see mindfulness as the practice of being more in touch with our actions, thoughts and experiences in the present moment.

2. Describe your Mindfulness practice or how you use it? Meditation is a big part of my mindfulness practice. That is where I sit and learn to just observe my breath, acknowledging the mental chatter and letting it fade away as I become more in touch with sensory experience. Mindfulness is a way of carrying out this mentality through the day—attempting to be in tune with my experiences instead of just running on autopilot, cloistered in my own thoughts. I also have small practical techniques to be more mindful, such as brushing my teeth with my non-dominant left hand, or chewing food for longer so as to appreciate and savor the experience more.3. What difference has Mindfulness made in your life? I have been practicing mindfulness for years now; and although I have been much less disciplined with it than I should be, it’s still made a tremendous difference for me. For one, it allows me to appreciate life so much more, because it has given me a greater capacity to get out of my thoughts and be in tune with my surroundings. It has also allowed me to observe my mind, and take a breath when I am feeling angry or sad or anxious. I go from being consumed by an emotion, to just breathing and acknowledging the emotion is there. In one way I am really allowing myself to experience the emotion, but that also helps me to let it go. So, mindfulness also allows you to be quite aware of inner experience, and this has helped me deal with my problems in profound ways. Mindfulness, in conjunction with meditation, has allowed me to live a more deliberate, but also more relaxed life.

4. How would you explain Mindfulness to someone who is new to the concept?I would tell someone that mindfulness is something we naturally do at times, but that can be honed for a happier and calmer way of being. I might ask someone how they would would react if their favorite song came on the radio unexpectedly. While that special enthusiasm can’t really be replicated, the sudden mental switch—where you go from a hazy half-focused mind to an alert and engaged one—certainly can be. I would tell them it’s just bringing your attention to your experiences and really feeling things: really paying attention in a conversation instead of just nodding and yessing, really enjoying the lovely heat of a nice shower and becoming aware of the sensation of water on skin, and really feeling how extraordinary it is just be alive. I would also emphasize the application of mindfulness to one’s inner life as well, in its capacity to help one deal with their emotions.

5. Is there anything else you want to tell me about your own Mindfulness experience?I would like to say that writing about mindfulness was much more difficult than I thought it would be (in an enjoyable way that helped me understand it better). While its fundamentals are straightforward enough, there always seems like something is missing when I am trying to describe it. It is a fairly elusive and difficult concept, so I can certainly see why it takes books and practice and discipline to really understand and achieve mindfulness. Yet, because the central practice of mindfulness—which I see as a rekindling of slumbered awareness—applies throughout, it is something anyone can start to do at literally any time.

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JULIA JONES

Mindfully making a difference as a communicator, advocate and actress.